Biggles and the Plot That Failed/plot
Chapter 1: The Great Sand Sea The story opens with Biggles, Ginger and Bertie at an oasis named El Arig in the Great Sand Sea, a desolate area of the Sahara in the South of Libya near the border with Egypt. Interestingly, this is the area near Salima Oasis where Biggles' 666 Squadron had been based during the events of Biggles Sweeps the Desert but no mention of this earlier event is made. Chapter 2: A Father Seeks Advice Why Biggles and his friends are at El Arig is now explained. Brigadier Mander had approached his friend of Air Commodore Raymond for advice about the disappearance of his son Adrian Mander. Adrian had become enamoured with archaeology after meeting a house guest Sir Cedric Goodall. He had flown in his Piper Cub out to Jordan to visit Sur Cedric's dig and there met another man, Hassan Sekunder. Sekunder had proposed that they explore for the lost tomb and emerald mine of Ras Tenazza, an ancient Tuareg king. Legend said this tomb was in the desert some three hundred miles south of Siwa. Adrian had Sekunder had flown out to Siwa and from there into the desert. Nothing had been heard from them for almost a month. Worse, checks revealed doubts about Sekunder's bona fides. He had claimed to be a member of the Egyptian Archaelogical Society but they had never heard of him. After a search mission had been authorised, Biggles flew out with Ginger and Bertie on the Air Police Merlin and set up an operating base at El Arig, the only known oasis in the region where Mander and Sekunder where believed to be operating in. Chapter 3: An Uneasy Reconnaissance The Air Police crew make a reconnaissance south from El Arig. They spot a range of rock hills and search it but find no sign of Adrian or his Piper Cub, Returning to El Arig, they see a caravan, or rather the mirage of a caravan, which appears to be heading for the same range of hills. Chapter 4: An Unpleasant Surprise Back at El Arig, they discover that someone has interfered with their camp. The tent and everything left on the ground has been burnt. The jerry cans of petrol left there--half their reserve fuel supply--have all been emptied. It could be the caravan, but who are they and why did they do it? Chapter 5: Strange Developments The next day, Biggles and co. continue their search of the range of hills and spot a man. Landing, they discover that it is Adrian Mander. He tells them Sekunder had flown away in his Piper Cub and left him to die. And then he surprises everyone by telling them he does not wish to go home--he wants to stay to get even with his betrayer. Chapter 6: Astonishing Revelations Adrian tells them while flying out from England, Sekunder had seemed curious about learning how to handle the aircraft and he had given him some time at the controls. While transiting at Siwa, where they spent three days, Sekunder went off several times on his own and was cagey about the reasons. Flying south from Siwa to the hills, they had found the tomb of Ras Tenazza on the second day. Chapter 7: Adrian is Obstinate The tomb was of the type that was impossible to excavate without machinery. Sekunder had made an excuse of going back to the Piper Cub to fetch some tools but had then surprised Adrian by flying off and heading towards Siwa. Left on his own, Adrian had discovered a pool of water in a cave which allowed him to survive. Exploring the vicinity, he had also discovered an emerald mine nearby. Adrian believed that Sekunder must have been making arrangements with other excavators while at Siwa and had now gone off to fetch them. Biggles tells Adrian he is probably right. The caravan which they spotted approaching is probably that of Sekunder and his new associates. They were probably also the ones who destroyed their camp at El Arig. Chapter 8: The Tomb The next morning, Adrian shows Biggles and friends the location of the emerald mine and the tomb, whereupon.... Chapter 9: An Experiment That Worked Bertie has a brainwave. The location of the tomb was marked by a tall, precarious pillar of rock. Bertie reasons that Sekunder must be relying on the pillar as a navigation landmark. If the pillar could be knocked down, this would make the tomb harder to find and thus delay the approach of the caravan. Biggles agrees to try and it turns out easier that expected. A single boulder from the precipice above the tomb was enough to topple the pillar. This seems to work: towards evening they spot a caravan of 6 camels first approaching and then move off in a direction going away from the tomb. Chapter 10: Adrian Goes Alone Adrian offers to go off to reconnoitre the caravan to determine if Sekunder is there however he doesn't return after a long time has passed. Biggles is worried because he senses a change in the weather, like a storm is approaching. So they need to protect the aircraft. At the same time, Adrian might well have met an accident or been injured. Ginger is sent to look for him. Chapter 11: Why Adrian Did Nor Return What happened to Adrian was simpler than that. He had underestimated the time needed to get to where the caravan was camped. Once there, however, he accidentally bumped into Sekunder who was with some other men. Adrian pretended that he wasn't angry--that he had always expected Sekunder to return for him and was delighted that he had now come back. Sekunder, not wanting to reveal his past treachery in front of his new companions, also seized the straw offered and said he had flown off on the spur of the moment to fetch more equipment for the excavation but he had crashed the aircraft, leading to delays. Then it had taken longer than expected to put together an expedition. But now he had returned with Nakish Bolzana, an archaeologist and collector of antiquities from Siwa who had a petrol driven drill capable of cutting into the tomb. Sekunder asked if Adrian had seen a plane and Adrian, deciding that it was safer to tell the truth, told him that the plane carried Biggles, who was in fact, acting on his father's behalf to look for him when he became overdue. Once alone with Adrian, Sekunder then suggested that they could steal Biggles' aircraft and run off with the supposed treasure once the tomb had been opened. Adrian is astonished by the sheer audacity and duplicity of Sekunder but plays along. Chapter 12: No Fun for Ginger Meanwhile Ginger finds the going just as difficult as Adrian did, made worse by the onset of darkness. He does however catch a glimpse of Adrian who seems to be walking and chatting in a friendly manner with some men. He makes his way back to camp but gets caught in the storm which causes parts of the desert to be submerged in flashfloods. Chapter 13: Biggles Speaks His Mind Next morning who should turn up at Biggles' camp but Sekunder. He says he has a message from Adrian: he had decided to stay with the expedition and Biggles can therefore go home without him. Biggles of course doesn't believe a word of it and sends him packing. Sekunder turns to leave and Biggles and co. follow behind. They arrive at the tomb where they find Bolzana and Sekunder busily engaged in drilling an opening into the tomb. Some Tuareg stand watching. Nearby, Adrian is seated on a camel. Ginger discovers that he has been tied to the saddle and releases him while Biggles and Bertie keep him covered. Chapter 14: Sekunder Makes a Mistake Sekunder sees what Biggles is doing but cannot intervene. He is, in any case far too excited to see what is inside the tomb. Adrian explains what happened to Biggles. Meanwhile, a large enough opening has been cut into the tomb. Sekunder impatienty puts his hand inside and is promptly stung by a scorpion. The tomb is found to contain nothing of value. Chapter 15: How it Ended That for all intents and purposes ends the story. Exchanging notes with Bolzana, Biggles finds that he is an innocent archaeologist and explorer who was persuaded by Sekunder to embark on an expedition. Bolzana knew nothing of Sekunder's abandoning of Adrian in the desert and was just as shocked about this act of treachery. Bolzana offers to take the injured Sekunder with him but Biggles does not want to see put to further inconvenience and so airlifts him to Siwa and let him off there. Bolzana, on his part, offers to use his influence to ensure that Sekunder is never allowed to set foot in Egypt thereafter. Adrian is taken back to England, having learnt a lesson he is not likely to forget for a while. Category:Plot summaries